a case study on multi-impact life cycle assessment of...

A case study on multi-impact life cycle

assessment of coffee alternatives

Quantis

Box 55071 #71794 Boston, MA 02205 [email protected] www.quantis-intl.com

+1 617-500-7152

Sebastien Humbert*, Vincent Rossi, Manuele Margni,

Olivier Jolliet, Carole Dubois, Jon Dettling, Yves Loerincik *[email protected], +41-79-754-7566

LC9, Boston MA, USA, September 29, 2009

LCA Coffee September 29, 2009, Boston, Sebastien Humbert

Goal and Scope

! " Identify critical environmental issues and responsibilities

along the entire life cycle chain of three coffee

alternatives: the spray dry coffee, drip filter coffee and capsule espresso coffee

! " Compare these three alternatives


The alternatives

Spray dried coffee

(SDC)

Drip filter coffee

(DFC)

Capsule espresso coffee

(CEC)


Product system boundary

1 cup

of coffee



CO2 N2O

CFC CH4


Energy and Greenhouse gases for the three alternatives


Water use for the 3 alternatives


The importance to consider the proper functional

unit

Instant

coffee Drip filter

Coffee

(“traditional

coffee”)


The importance to consider the proper functional

unit

at consumer

(per cup)

at retailer

(per kg)


Conclusions

! " Manufactured product can have lower burden than “less transformed” product ! "Higher extraction yield

! " Most of impacts are upstream or downstream from the manufacturer

! "Upstream: work with suppliers, to help them manage well:

! "Fertilizer use

! "Irrigation

! "Forest producing heating wood

! "Downstream: communicate with user, to help

! "Heating only amount needed

! "Switch off idle power (keeping drip filter or espresso machine warm) if not needed

! " Energy and GHG can be correlated

! " Water impact using scarcity can lead to counter-intuitive results… to be studied further ! "Water methods review (Thursday)

•"Reference: Humbert S, Loerincik Y, Rossi V, Margni M and Jolliet O (2009). Life cycle assessment of spray dried soluble coffee and comparison with alternatives (drip filter and capsule espresso). Journal Cleaner Production, 17 1351–1358.


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Additional slides of the study


Greenhouse gases for instant coffee


System Boundaries


Screening of all impact categories


Sensitivity analysis on cultivation


Primary data collected at the factories

Parameter Value per kg spray dried soluble coffee

produced

Value per kg roasted and ground

coffee produced

Yield (in kg), per kg of green coffee 0.45 0.81

Electricity (in kWh) 2.3 0.14

Natural gas (in Nm3) 0.8 0.07

Coffee grounds burned (in kg) 1.3 0

Glass (for packaging, in kg) 2.6 negligible

Laminate (for packaging, in kg) 0.014 0.016

Paper (mainly for packaging, in kg) 0.0042 n/a

Cardboard (mainly for packaging, in kg) 0.054 0.014

Fresh water (own source, in l) 11 n/a

Potable water (from public network, in l) 19 0.26

Processes taking place at the plant

1. Green coffee handling & cleaning

2. Roasting 3. Aroma recovery

4. Extraction 5. Evaporation

6. Spray drying

7. Agglomeration 8. Filling & packing

9. Conditioning

1. Green coffee handling & cleaning

2. Roasting 3. Grinding

4. Filling & packing 5. Conditioning


Packaging alternatives for spray dried coffee

Alternative (capacity) Primary and secondary packaging

Tertiary packaging

glass jar (100g)

242g glass jar, 9.2g PP cap, 1.1g wad board, 0.2g alu membrane, 0.9g

paper label

3.3g cardboard, 1.5g LDPE film, pallet

metal can (100g) 5.1g LDPE cap, 1g alu peel off, 44.2g tin plate steel


stand-up pouch

(100g)

9.4g laminate (PET12 / alu8 / LDPE60)


stick (in box) (45g -

1.8g powder/

stick)

12.8g laminate (PET12 / alu8 / LDPE60), 14.2g cardboard (25 sticks per

box)



Inputs needed per 1 dl cup of coffee

Spray dried soluble Drip filter Capsule espresso

Water for the

coffe

e

2 dl (assuming that 200% the amount of

water needed is boiled)

1.5 dl (assuming that 1/3 of the coffee made

is wasted) 1 dl

Coffee 2 g of spray dried soluble coffee per cup

13.5 g of R&G coffee (includes 33% losses)

(standard dose is assumed to be 9

g)

6.5 g of R&G coffee per capsule

Machine Water boiler, 1 liters/day, 2 cups/day, 300

days/year, over 10 years

1 drip filter machine, 2 cups/day, 300 days/

year over 10 years

1 espresso machine, 2 cups/day, 300 days/

year over 10 years

Heating 0.125 kWh/l (own measurements)

0.125 kWh/l and 0.001 kWh/min for the

stand-by (own measurements); 2

hours stand-by

Stand-by of 2 hours/day representing 0.028

kWh/cup (The electronic consumes

0.2W the whole day, representing 0.0024 kWh/cup. However, these

values are included in the stand-by

values.)

Washing

Assumption is that the cup is used once before being washed. Dishwasher: lifetime is 3750 cycles; loading is 40 cups/cycle; 1.2 kWh/cycle

(1.05-1.4 kWh/cycle [24]); 15 l of water/cycle (12-18 l/cycle [24]); 10 g of detergent/cycle (12-18 l/cycle [24]). Washing by hand is

assumed to consume 0.5 l per cup with 40°C water.


Summary of the literature review on LCA of coffee

Stages References and short evaluation

Growing and

treatment

Coltro et al. [1] - Environmental profile of Brazilian green coffee. Strong paper. Covers energy, chemicals, land and water use for the growing and pulp

and mucilage removal stages. Hergoualch [2] - Soil greenhouse gases emissions and carbon storage in coffee plantations.

Beans removal

Chanakya and De Alwis [3] - Environmental issues and management in primary coffee processing. Good description of processing including pulping,

washing, and roasting. Includes a description of the social and economic conditions. Concentrates on water use and runoff and potential solutions to these problems.

Roasting

De Monte et al. [4] - Waste heat recovery at roasting plant. Concentrates on the roasting process and some of its costs.

Menezes et al. [5] - Drying performance of vibrating tray. Very specific article. Gives an overview of the drying process. Comparison of energy costs for different methods.

Transport De Monte et al. [6] - Alternative coffee packaging: an analysis from a life cycle point of view. Very specific thorough part of the whole seed-to-cup

process with focus on packaging.

Consumption Lopez Aizcorbe et al. [7] – LCA coffee maker. Specific and thorough. Student project: quality is not perfect but wide range of data is included.

Complete cycle

Büsser and Jungbluth [8]. Complete LCA, with focus on packaging issues and influence of consumer behavior.

International Coffee Organization Study [9]. Study of the environmental issues relating to the coffee chain within a context of trade liberalization, through a life cycle approach. Outlines all the areas that need to be covered, including carbon balance, water pollution, biodiversity, and global warming.

Salomone [10] - LCA coffee production. LCA applied to coffee production: investigating environmental impacts to aid decision making for improvements at company level. Traditional LCA. Covers energy use, waste management, raw material consumption from cradle to grave.

Hanssen et al. [11,12]. Complete life cycle.

Diers et al. [13]. Complete life cycle.

Social and

economic effects

Cuadra [14] - Emergy evaluation on the the production, processing and export of coffee in Nicaragua.

Pelupessy [15] – Int. chain of coffee and the environment. Perfecto [16] - Biodiversity, yield, and shade coffee certification.

Van der Vossen [17] - Agronomic and economic sustainability of organic coffee production


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Supporting info of LCA


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Objectives,

system

Inventory (analysis)

of ressources and emissions

(Life cycle)

Impact assessment

Interpretation

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

! "ISO 14040-14044


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The life cycle perspective

(life cycle stages and impacts)


Human toxicity Respiratory effects Ionizing radiation

Ozone layer depletion Photochemical oxidation

Aquatic ecotoxicity Terrestrial ecotoxicity Acidification

Eutrophication Terrestrial acidi/nitri Land occupation

Mineral extraction Non-renewable energy

Human health

Ecosystem quality

Resource consumption

Climate change Climate change

CO2

Crude oil

NOx

Iron ore

Phosphates

Hundreds more . . .

Water (non-turbined) Water (turbined) Water impact

Irrigation water

Dams water

Damage categories Midpoint categories

IMPACT 2002+ (Jolliet et al. 2003)

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